Choose Your Destiny
by Otter Pixie
Summary: Mara gets a gift from the Fates. She is allowed to visit all her favorite books and shows. In the end, she is supposed to find one she wants to stay in. There is something else afoot, though.


Choose Your Destiny

Part I: Real World and Subspace

After classes were over for the day, Mara was walking back towards her dorm. She had stayed to do some studying so it was during another class time and she was walking by herself down the road. It was still fairly warm out and she wore jean cutoffs and a violet tank top with sneakers. Trees from both sides of the road leaned over to meet above her head, allowing her some shade. She reached up to brush a falling leaf away from her long blonde locks.

While she wasn't looking, she walked into a solid wall of flesh. She looked up alarmed and started to apologize profusely. Then she lost all train of thought as she just gazed up at the guy she had bumped into. He was just so amazing. Raven black hair fell to his shoulders and it was probably nicer than her own. She liked guys with long hair as long as it was well kept and his was very well kept it seemed.

"Are you okay?" He asked again and she shook off her dazed expression. She had this feeling like she knew him. She might have seen him around campus, but that didn't account for this odd feeling.

"Yeah... sorry about that," she smiled faintly.

"No problem, though most people find someone my height hard to miss." Laughter danced in the deepest blue eyes she had ever seen. She could just stand here staring into them. But that would make her way creepy.

"I'm sorry. I was daydreaming I guess."

"Well, that's expected on such a beautiful day." He stuck out his hand. "Mark."

She took his hand and he squeezed hers gently. "Mara."

"Mara," he said her name as if testing the feel of it on his tongue. "Are you going to the Halloween dance?"

"Uh well," she gulped. She didn't want to hope that he was about to ask her out already. She didn't want to get her hopes smashed when he most likely didn't ask her out. "Maybe. I need to find a good costume first. And, hope that not all my friends have dates cause I hate it when they say that it's a group thing but turn around and have dates in the group." She swallowed and forced herself to stop rambling on. "Sorry for ranting at you..."

"I understand. That is very rude of friends." He smiled and then tilted his head. "Would it be easier to find a good costume if you had a date and maybe got costumes that went together? Or is that too lame at our age?"

"Depends on the combination maybe. Some combinations are very over-used such as angel and daemon... Romeo and Juliet..." She felt her heart flip-flop. He very much sounded like he was going to ask her to go with him now.

He laughed and nodded his agreement. "Yeah. Are we too old for superheroes?"

"Well I'm not... don't know about you," she teased lightly. "And it might depend on the superhero yet again."

"Batman and Batgirl would be too close to the overused... but we could do X-men." He looked thoughtful. "A couple of vampires... or a vampire and vampire slayer."

"All sound like intriguing possibilities." She smiled.

"I'll see what I can find," then he stopped. "That is... you want to go with me, right? I didn't assume too much here?" He actually looked a bit embarrassed and her heart flip-flopped again. His embarrassment was so endearing.

"If you want me to, then sure. I'd very much like that."

"That's great. I'll tell you what I find, okay." Then he looked around and thumbed up towards the nearest building. "You a history major, too?"

"Yeah."

"Well I was a history major. Now I'm a graduate and getting a degree in Archaeology."

"I love that. Though, I always wanted to be a paleontologist." She sighed.

"Well then I'm sure I'll bump into you again," then he chuckled. "Maybe not literally next time."

"We can only hope." Then she waved and took off to her apartment across the road.

She stepped in the door to her room and the next thing she knew she was in this large, white, round room. At least she thought it was a room, she really could not tell. All she knew was that it wasn't her bedroom. Then figures started appearing around her, just as confused at their surroundings. She gasped as she recognized each of them. There were some of her favorite characters from television and books. She stared at them all openly. She must have gotten heat stroke and passed out on the road.

There was conversation sprouting up from each group as they tried to figure out what was going on.

Jean-Claude looked around. "The light is not painful." He commented and looked at Anita.

She shook her head. "We're definitely not anywhere normal."

"Wow, Ami, there's so many cute guys here," Usagi told the girl next to her.

Miroku sniggered and came up beside her. "And so many cute girls! Will you bare my children?"

Usako promptly slapped him. Her, along with Ami and Setsuna, put their noses in the air and moved away from him.

"Rocky!" Jason smiled and went over to clap Rocky on the shoulder. "Long time no see, bud."

"Yeah, somehow it doesn't seem too off that we would meet under such odd circumstances, huh?" He laughed then looked over to the side as a red headed woman approached them.

"You're Jason and Rocky?" She smiled and held out her hand to them. "I'm Hayley, a friend of Tommy Oliver. I've seen you in his old photos and such."

Harry, Hermione, and Ginny were huddled together. Hermione was racking her brain trying to figure out what was going on. Was this a product of a spell gone wrong? She didn't know any spells that would do this.

Miroku started to eye up Rogue and Storm in their tight uniforms. He started towards them and was about to say something when Kagome and Inu Yasha each took an arm then dragged him away from them.

Gabrielle leaned on her staff and looked at Hercules and Xena. "Think the gods are playing another one of their games?" She asked them.

"It certainly wouldn't be the first time," Xena muttered bitterly. "But it wouldn't explain all these other people who don't seem to be from any civilization I ever visited." Then she spotted Inu Yasha and Miroku. "Except for them. They look like they're from the Far East cities."

"Well the others could simply be from other places you never got a chance to visit... yet, at least," Hercules said with amusement.

"That's a possibility, at least," Xena looked around with eyes of a hawk.

Bruce stood there silently. Barbara and Tim were watching him carefully, ready to follow his lead. He spotted the three X-men there and moved towards them. He had met them a couple times and were the only ones he recognized in this place.

"Logan," Bruce said in way of greeting. "I take it you have no idea what's going on, as well."

"Not a one," he was looked around quickly. "And, not to sound too much like a mutt; but there are so many new scents here with all these new people. Interesting scents."

"I'm sure," Ororo said with amusement. She noticed some strange people, besides themselves. But, as a mutant she was used to being considered strange.

Rogue looked at Barbara and Tim. The young guy was new to her. "What happened to the other guy?"

"Long story," Barbara said with amusement and nudged Tim.

Just like everyone else, Buffy was huddled with the other two from her world wondering what was going on. Willow was worried it was a bad spell and Buffy thought it might be a powerful daemon run amuck.

Damien had wondered away from Jean-Claude and Anita to make his way through the group. He neared the Carpathians and paused. He felt their power in his head. It felt like vampires but it wasn't.

Mikhail was looking at him now and thinking the same thing. He looked at his daughter and long time friend. "That one seems to be a vampire... but something is off."

"I don't sense any evil from him. The same from the male he came with," Savannah said. "Except for that one," she pointed at Angel hovering behind Buffy. "He is evil... but it is deep and not something of an immediate threat."

Gregori held her close, nevertheless. "Either way. Any of them can be dangerous and I will not have you leave my side."

Mara was watching everything with interest. She was getting to see her favorite characters up close. She realized she was probably standing there with a dumbfounded look on her face and blushed.

Just then, three women in robes appeared among them. A young lady about Mara's age, one about her mother's age, and then a lovely grandmotherly type were looking at everyone serenely. Everyone quieted and turned to watch them with interest.

Hercules immediately stepped forward. "Clotho, Lachesis, Atropos... what are you doing here?"

"They are most likely behind this," Xena said from behind him, looking at them with clear suspicion. But then, she looked at most people like that.

Rocky motioned between them. "You know these women?"

"They are the Fates," Hayley said, recognizing the names.

"But why would these people be on a first name basis with the Fates?" Jason asked her.

Gabrielle nudged him with a smile. "Have you never heard of Hercules and Xena where you come from?"

"That is Hercules and Xena?" Anita asked skeptically with eyebrows raised.

"Please hush," Atropos finally commanded with arms outstretched. "We will explain ourselves if you give us the chance."

"We will answer all your questions once we are finished," Lachesis added calmly.

"Mara, will you please step forward? All this is for you, so you should be front and center," Clotho stretched on her toes to look around.

There was murmuring among the groups and Mara gulped. For her? What the heck? She went forward, fearing they would just come for her and drag her back anyways. She looked up at the statuesque maiden fate. Her brows drew together. She could feel all eyes on her and she wanted to run like the wind... only she had no idea where she was.

Clotho chuckled. "There is no reason to be afraid. You are being given a gift! Be joyous!"

"A gift?" Mara asked a bit dumbly. "Me?"

"Yes," Clotho chuckled. "You are a very special girl and as you have noticed by now, everyone else is a character from a favorite show or book. Something of that nature." There was a murmur as all of said characters started to whisper to each other once again. "We want to give you the opportunity to visit all these universes. Then, once you have visited each, you will be able to choose one to live in."

"This just can't be real," Mara began to shake her head.

"Oh honey, it is," Lachesis came forward and patted her shoulder comfortingly. She motioned to the others. "You will become a person in each of their universes, a new person not in the current stories. You will not be yourself and you will be different person each time."

"Someone you made up for me?" Mara asked, still confused over all of this. She had to be sleeping.

"Something like that," Clotho replied. "And it's all real, not a dream."

"You just read my thoughts."

"Well we are goddesses. That is also how we will help you if you need us, by communicating with you telepathically. And, all of the people here will also be able to help you, because they will be able to remember you are from somewhere else and at the same time know your character in their world. We made sure your character was connected to them as best as possible so that they could be around."

"Will I look different?" Mara was looking around at all the characters there to see who she would be spending all that time with.

"Yes, that would be part of the being different each time." Clotho chuckled. She saw Mara looking around and told her, "We did our best at selecting characters that would help you along the way in their world. So do not worry."

Atropos raised her hands, one towards Mara and another towards a spot behind her. Mara was not sure if there was a wall there or what. "Are you ready to begin your journey now?"

"I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be." Mara shrugged and moved towards the matronly woman. "Where am I headed first?"

"You will see," Atropos winked at her and put her hand on the small of Mara's back. The other two fates moved up on either side of them. Each held out a hand like Atropos. "Remember, we will help you. So never worry. We wouldn't abandon you."

Mara smiled. "Thank you."

Energy flowed from the three outstretched hand towards a spot beyond. It gathered into a large ball, large enough for Mara to walk into. Then a scene began to emerge in the center, but still wavering as if behind a wall of water. They looked at Mara and nodded. She gulped and nervously strode forward towards the portal. She glanced back at all the watching faces and then looked back at the portal. She stuck her hand out towards it tentatively. It tingled and a shiver ran up her spine. She took a deep breath and finally stepped inside.


End file.
